Notes: Hey folks and here's another chapter… There's a few differences in this story, for one it follows the timeline of Justice League Unlimited more so than Young Justice. Meaning the League was established in 2001 instead of 2010 and membership expanded in 2004. Second, some versions of certain characters have been changed such as Aquaman and Mera, in Justice League/JLU they have two kids, Arthur Jr (AJ for short) and Mareena. In the comics Mera has a short temper and in Smallville is very opinionated and tough. Long story short, she tends to be very blunt. As for Tula/Aquagirl and Lagoon Boy, their back stories and abilities are from the comics in this story. Tried to fill in the gaps in part of the story due to lack of information so there are some noticeable differences here and there. In short, this adaptation isn't 100 % canon.
The oil spill in this story is loosely based on three that actually happened in California: The Barge Apex Houston spill (1986) near Santa Cruz, the Cosco Busan spill (2007) in San Francisco and the Refugio oil spill (2015) in Santa Barbara. Did some research on the locations used in this story as well as wildlife, climate and so forth. Oil spills can and do have an impact on coastal ecosystems. Exposure to oil not only has adverse side effects on animals but humans as well. If anyone asks, this isn't based on the Young Justice comic story 'Camp Out'. I had sort of found out about it after the fact. For those that haven't been to San Francisco or Northern California, I suggest running a search on Google for some of the places mentioned here to get an idea of what they look like.
Also, here's some of the characters that are introduced in this chapter and who they would be voiced by if this was actually in the series:
Makani- voiced by: Idris Alba
Kona-voiced by: Viola Davis
Keani-voiced by: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Zeena-voiced by: Kerry Washington
Fluke-voiced by: Daymond Wayans
If anyone has questions just drop me a message or ask in a review.
So…uh…moving on…
Happy Harbor, RI-Friday, October 22nd -3:30pm-Eastern Time
For the most part, Fridays were rather quiet in the cave. With most members of the Team either doing homework or busy with after school activities, hardly anyone was around. The only exception was Artemis, who was sitting at a table near the kitchen. She was currently in her civilian clothes, a white t-shirt with a brown cardigan, blue jeans and white Nike tennis shoes. On the table in front of her was a notepad, some excel spread sheets, two pencils along with a sharpener and a calculator. A bottle of water and bowl of chips were on the table as well. Artemis picked up one of the pencils and started adding up some numbers she had written down.
"Ok, carry the four and…" She stopped short when a small figure wearing a long-sleeved Kid Flash shirt, jeans and red all-star sneakers ran by.
"What's up?" Bart greeted the young archer.
Startled, Artemis cried out in surprise and jumped up slightly, scattering her papers in the process, some of them falling onto the floor.
Letting out a small growl of frustration she angrily glanced at the person who interrupted her. "Darn it, Bart! It took me a whole hour to figure this out." Artemis snapped.
Bart raised an eyebrow at this., "Figure what out?" he asked.
"Black Canary needed us to compile a list of the Team's monthly expenses." Artemis explained.
"So?" Bart continued, still confused.
"The deadline is next Monday." Artemis replied as she gathered up her papers with Bart's help.
"Today's Friday and you're just now getting to it?" Bart asked, surprised.
Letting out a sigh, Artemis tried to relax and went on to explain. "No, Batgirl had started working on it two days ago then she asked me if I could take over and finish it."
"Can't you get Nightwing to do it? He's the Team's math expert." Bart pointed out.
"He and Batgirl are busy in Blüdhaven trying to track down Mr. Freeze. He escaped from Belle Rev last week and nobody has seen him since then." Artemis explained.
"Oh…" was all Bart could say. He paused and looked at the papers and notepad on the table then at Artemis before he spoke. "Do you need any help?"
Artemis half smiled at the speedster as she sat back down at the table. "Thanks, but no thanks, I got it. Why? Are you bored?"
"Yes!" Bart exclaimed.
"Well, I hate to break it to you but writing a budget and adding numbers isn't all that exciting." Artemis spoke sadly.
Bart blinked and looked at the table once more, "I see," he replied.
"Where's Robin? Don't you guys usually hang out?" Artemis asked, glancing down at one of the spread sheets.
"He's got piano practice today." Bart replied.
"Oh, sorry," Artemis apologized.
"It's fine…I'll just…go for a walk, see ya," Bart said, waving to her, then he left.
"Bye," said Artemis, not taking her eyes off the paper in front of her.
Bart walked outside and headed down the path towards the forest near the back of the cave. Sitting down on a log, he paused to think and look around at his surroundings. The forest was dense, trees blocked out some of the sunlight with only a few rays coming through between the branches. The red, orange and yellow leaves on the oak and sycamore trees, as well as the sound of song birds singing made for a pleasant atmosphere. Aside from the slight chill in the air and few clouds scattered across the sky, it was a clear Fall day.
"Alone again…naturally," Bart said to himself.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, scattering leaves that rested on the forest floor. A page from the Daily Planet newspaper that had been discarded floated in the air, landing on Bart's face, startling the young hero.
"Hey! What the…?" he sputtered. Grabbing the paper, he peeled it off his face and read it.
Orionid Meteor shower peaks Tonight was the headline. Bart couldn't help but smile at this, "This is so crash!" he said to himself.
Taking off at top speed, Bart ran back into the cave. Artemis was still at the table working and didn't pay much attention to Bart.
"Artemis, guess what I…" he paused when he noticed another person in the room. They were sitting on the couch, a blond girl wearing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt with a white star on the front, jeans and blue and white all-star sneakers. It didn't take long for Bart to recognize that it was Courtney Whitmore, or Stargirl as she was known by the public.
"Courtney? When did you get here?" Bart asked.
Courtney looked up from the magazine she was reading, "Fifteen minutes ago, why?" she asked, looking confused.
"'Cause I just thought of a great idea." Said Bart.
Courtney raised an eyebrow, "Which is?"
"There's a meteor shower tonight, we should all go outside and watch it." Bart said excitedly.
"Yeah," Courtney agreed with a smile. She then glanced at her other teammate, "What do you think, Artemis?"
At hearing her name, the blond archer looked up from her notepad. "Huh?" she replied, obviously caught off guard.
Courtney frowned, "You didn't hear all that?"
"Sorry, I'm kinda busy. What were you talking about?" Artemis asked.
Bart answered before Courtney could get a word out. "The meteor shower, it's tonight…you plan on watching?"
"Wouldn't miss it," Artemis replied with a smile.
After spending the past hour and a half adding numbers and organizing spreadsheets, she welcomed the opportunity to take a break and spend time with her teammates.
"Ok." Impulse replied. He then turned to Courtney, who had set her magazine aside on the coffee table to read later.
"Think the rest of the team might come with?" Bart asked.
Courtney shrugged her shoulders at his question, "Maybe," she replied.
Bart thought about what Courtney said and got an idea. "I got it!" he exclaimed.
"Got what?" Courtney asked, frowning at Bart.
"An idea, c'mon!" Bart said as he grabbed Courtney by her wrist and dragged her off to another room, leaving behind a rather dumbfounded Artemis. Just what was Bart up to this time?
Meanwhile Black Canary was in the training room doing exercise demonstrations with Mal. On the left-hand side of the room, in a row of plastic folding chairs sat Static, Rocket, Bumblebee and Red Arrow. All of them were dressed in their costumes. The small band of sidekicks watched without saying a word as Mal hit the floor, courtesy of Canary's signature drop kick. All of them had gone one round with her, he was the last. Mal got up and made his way back to the empty chair next to Bumblebee, feeling somewhat sore.
Black Canary looked at her students and grinned, their efforts had been good, but she felt they could do better. "Anyone want to try again?" she asked, "Anyone?" All she received in response was a dry cough from Static.
"I'll do it," Red Arrow offered, raising his hand. He got up from his seat and approached Black Canary.
"All right, the trick is to block the person before they get to you." she explained and stepped back a few inches before giving Red Arrow some additional instructions. "Come at me,"
"Ok." Was Red Arrow's reply. He started to throw a punch towards Canary's face only for his right hand to be caught in her palm, blocking his fist.
"See there?" she said before releasing him. "Now, let's do it the other way around…on three." Canary continued.
She and Red Arrow got into position, facing each other with both fists raised.
"One…two…" Canary was interrupted when Bart's voice rang out.
"Hey you guys!"
Black Canary and Red Arrow stopped what they were doing and saw Bart enter the room with Courtney.
"Bart, you decided to join us?" Canary asked, half smiling.
"Not really," was the speedster's reply.
"Then why are you here?" Red Arrow asked. Judging by his harsh tone of voice and serious face, he didn't appreciate the interruption.
Bart looked at Canary and Red Arrow nervously, realizing he probably shouldn't have barged in like this.
"Well… there's a meteor shower tonight and…" Bart was suddenly cut off by Bumblebee.
"I heard about that," she said.
Bart looked to the left at his teammate, "You did?"
"Yeah," was Bumblebee's reply.
Seeing how her students were no longer interested in training, Canary decided to take a short break. "Ok, people we'll take five," she said to them before speaking to Bart, "Now, what's this about?"
"I…uh…thought the team might want to come with. We could camp out tonight." Bart explained, regarding the meteor shower.
"Well, seeing how you've all worked hard this week, I think you all deserve a night off." Said Canary.
She then glanced at her students, asking for their input. All of them smiled and didn't take long to give their answers. "What do you say?"
"I'm down," said Mal.
"Count me in!" Static replied.
"Me too!" was Rocket's answer.
Bumblebee glanced at Red Arrow who was now leaning against the wall. "What about you, Roy?" she asked.
"I don't know," was the archer's reply. Next thing he knew, he heard a series of protests from his teammates.
"Wouldn't be the same without you." said Mal.
Red Arrow then held his hands up in defeat, "Ok, ok I'll go…sheesh!"
"This is gonna totally crash!" said Bart.
"No doubt," Courtney agreed.
"Agreed," said Canary. She then had an idea and turned her attention to Bart and Courtney.
"Anyway…since you're both here, take a seat." Canary told them, pointing to some extra chairs propped up against the wall next to Red Arrow.
Bart and Courtney's eyes widened at hearing this. "B-but we're not in this class!" the speedster exclaimed.
Canary grinned, looking somewhat mischievous. "You are now," she announced.
Both Courtney and Bart groaned and went to grab their chairs. They should've known this was the 'punishment' for interrupting a training exercise.
Canary tried her hardest to keep from laughing. This was priceless! "I love this job," she said to herself.
A few hours later, the sun had set over the horizon and the sky had turned blue black. As dusk switched to night, stars could gradually be seen over head. After Black Canary's class, Bart and the rest of the team got busy setting things up for the camp out. Some tents, a few sleeping bags and other camping supplies were all laid out on a patch of grass beneath some tall pine trees.
A short walking distance away some logs had been set up in a circle around a campfire. There was also a telescope set up. Gradually, members of the team had gathered and took seats on the log.
Nightwing, Superboy and few of the other boys were on one side while Artemis, Bumblebee and the rest of the girls were on the other. The ones that had been in costume prior to this moment had changed into civilian clothes. For the next hour, they mostly ate pizza and hot wings, making small talk in-between.
Supergirl was one the last members of the team to arrive and sat down between Artemis and Rocket. "I gotta admit, Bart this was a good idea." The girl of steel confessed before grabbing the second to last slice of pepperoni pizza.
Bart smiled at this, "Thanks, too bad were short a few people." He replied.
Bart had called and texted several team members and close friends only for them to decline the invitation for one reason or another.
Robin raised an eyebrow at this, "Who's missing?" he asked.
"Let's see…Wendy had to study for an exam, Marvin's got guitar lessons, Lucy and Chloe are trying to finish a Daily Planet article that's due tomorrow and…everybody else is either out with their mentors or doing homework." Kara explained.
Marvin and Wendy were two of the few people Kara and the rest of the team trusted with knowing their secret identities, the others included Lois Lane, her sister Lucy and their cousin, Chloe Sullivan, Catherine Cobert and Lucas 'Snapper' Carr. Then there was the team's own family members and other friends.
"I was kind of hoping Wally would be here." Bart confessed, he loved spending time with his cousin and of course, his grandparents, Barry and Iris.
However, Wally was tied up with helping Barry after receiving a tip that Captain Cold had been spotted trying to freeze Lake Erie. As always, Barry joked that the ice villain might've been attempting to turn the lake into his own personal skating rink. Of course, his sense of humor was somewhat flat and got very few laughs.
Nightwing put a hand on Bart's left shoulder and tried to cheer him up. "You got us," the former Robin pointed out.
"True…" Bart agreed, smiling at his cousin's best friend. He then looked his teammates, "So, what now?"
"Mind if I join you?" a voice asked.
Bart and the rest of the group spotted Black Canary approaching the campfire.
"Canary?! What are you doing here?" Bart asked.
"Well, since you all planned this campout I figured you needed a chaperone." Canary answered, before taking a seat next to Batgirl. "That's not a problem is it?" she asked.
The team all spoke up with various replies, most of them were fine with her presence.
"Nope, not at all." Said Bart who grinned nervously.
"Great," Nightwing muttered, realizing Canary was now between him and Batgirl.
They always sat together but by the same token, Nightwing understood Black Canary's reason for being there. Even though a lot of them were responsible and knew better than to do something dumb, there was no harm in having adult supervision. The Team had grown in past year and with so many members coming and going from the Cave there were times where keeping track of who was there and who wasn't got to be confusing.
Cyborg, one of the newest members, glanced his watch then at everyone else. "The meteor shower doesn't start for another two hours. What do you guys wanna do?" he asked.
It didn't take long for Robin to speak up. "Well, we ate all the pizza and hot wings. Anybody remember the stuff we need for s'mores?"
"I did!" said Stargirl as she held up a grocery bag full of graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars and shish kabob sticks.
"Sweet!" Robin and Cyborg said in unison.
As the bag was passed around and everyone grabbed what they needed to make s'mores.
Nightwing came up with an activity they could all participate in, "I got it!" he said, snapping his fingers, "Anyone have any good stories?"
"You don't mean the corny ones they tell at Summer camps, do you?" Red Arrow asked.
Nightwing shook his head, "No, of course not."
"Then what did you have in mind?" Artemis asked, as she placed a marshmallow on her kabob stick.
Nightwing glanced at his team, "How'd you guys become sidekicks?" he asked.
Everyone froze in their tracks all of them looking like a herd of deer caught in some headlights. Did they just hear what they thought they heard?
The only sound that could be heard besides the fire crackling was a cricket chirping not far away.
"Puh-lease, we all know those stories." Said Red Arrow as he rolled his eyes.
"Maybe… but what about when we became friends?" Nightwing suggested.
Red Arrow raised an eyebrow at this looking surprised, "Seriously?" he asked.
"Why not? I always wondered how you guys got to know each other." Said Bumblebee.
"Me too," Mal piped up.
Nightwing smiled at the rest of the group as they all waited to listen. He never got tired of telling the story of how he, Red Arrow and Wally became friends.
"Ok…it was…not long after we became sidekicks…it was me, Roy and Wally." He explained.
"Right… though the only reason we became friends was because on the day we met, I saved his butt." Red Arrow added.
"Oh, you got that all backwards, Dude…I saved your butt." Said a voice.
The group looked up to see a familiar red-haired speedster wearing a Flash shirt with a copper brown jacket, dark pants and red and white tennis shoes.
"Wally?!" they all said at the same time.
"Yeah, I made it after all…" he announced and sat down between Nightwing and Superboy. "So, we're telling stories? I thought you guys were watching the meteor shower."
"It doesn't start for two hours so we decided to swap stories." Mal explained.
"Ok, count me in." Wally said with a smile.
"Anyway…" Red Arrow continued.
"If my Memory serves me correctly, and it always does. It happened when Dick was in the 4th grade, we had lunch at Bibbo's diner with our mentors…I got macaroni and cheese with jello cubes…." Red Arrow then paused and corrected himself.
"No, wait a second I traded it for red velvet cake because I don't like jello cubes 'cause it has pieces of fruit that get stuck in my teeth…"
It wasn't long until Red Arrow was cut off.
"Just tell the story, Roy!" Nightwing snapped.
"Ok…the year was 1997…we were at Centennial Park…my nose was bleeding…again."
(Flashback Begins)
Red Arrow or Speedy as he mostly known at the time, sat on park bench holding some tissue under his nose. Not far off, Green Arrow, Flash and Batman were busy fighting off Mr. Freeze, Icicle Sr and Junior. On a normal weekday the park usually had a decent number of people but since the ice villains showed up and started freezing everything in sight, any citizens that were around had ran off to the other side of the park.
Although Black Canary lent a hand, she also kept an eye on the young trio of sidekicks.
"Off to a bad start as Flash's sidekick, Wally. Clown's belong in the circus, not on the job. Now unless you want to be sent home on your first day, I suggest you sit here and don't move a muscle." She said.
The then, 11-year-old Kid Flash, sat down on the bench next to Speedy, he was facing downward with his right hand balled into a fist tucked under his chin. Wally was basically doing an impression of the famous statue, known as The Thinker.
Canary rolled her eyes at the sight. Without a doubt Wally West was a natural comedian. She then looked over at Speedy. "How's that nosebleed, Roy?" she asked.
"Drying nicely, thanks Canary." The 14-year-old archer replied.
Black Canary smiled briefly before she left to assist Green Arrow and the others.
Meanwhile, on the far end of the park a group of children from Gotham Academy on a fieldtrip to the Daily planet were watching the heroes. Robin spotted two girls amongst the group, one a blonde the other a red head. He smiled at the two recognizing them as his classmates, Bette Kane and Barbara Gordon. Robin causally approached them, while in costume neither of Bette or Barbara knew that the boy wonder was Dick Grayson.
"Who wants a kiss?" he asked.
The two girls were stunned at the nine-year old's question.
"Ew!" they said at the same time and ran off with Robin chasing them.
Back at the park bench, Speedy's day had just gotten worse as he tried to dodge getting frozen by Icicle Jr. He darted in between the trees, hoping to wear out the young ice villain. Speedy had fired a few arrows in the process but kept missing.
"What's the matter carrot top? You hurt yourself again?" Junior teased.
"You caught me when I wasn't looking." Speedy replied.
"Well, you're looking now." Junior pointed out.
He was about to throw a shard of ice which caused Speedy to take cover behind a tree.
"Made you flinch!" Junior said with a laugh.
Kid Flash got between the two of them, attempting to help Speedy. "Hey, I like your haircut." He said to Junior.
"Thanks," the ice villain replied, taken aback by the compliment.
"What'd you do, lose a fight with a lawn mower?" Kid Flash asked.
Speedy couldn't help but snicker, Kid Flash was the perfect distraction.
Junior's eyes widened at the joke, "Oh yeah?!" he asked angrily.
"Good come back…is that your head or did your neck blow a bubble?" Kid Flash continued.
At that point, Speedy couldn't take it anymore and started laughing.
Kid Flash took a bow, as if performing on stage, "Thank you, thank you…cut it out."
Working together, Kid Flash had distracted Icicle Jr long enough for Speedy to fire an arrow containing a net. The two sidekicks were able to stop the young ice villain and get an inhibitor collar around his neck. With Junior out of the way, Speedy and Kid Flash sat down on the bench to talk while waiting for their mentors.
"Where'd you get all those great jokes?" Speedy asked.
"From a book, 1,001 Insults. Pretty good, huh?" Kid Flash replied.
The two heroes then noticed Robin run past them only this time he was being chased by two different girls, asking for his autograph.
"Hey! One at time!" he told them.
Black Canary had the chance to see Kid Flash and Speedy's teamwork and congratulated the duo, "Good job, boys."
She then turned to Icicle Jr and grabbed him by his inhibitor collar.
"Now, it's time for you and I have a small talk with Green Arrow, Cameron."
Both Speedy and Kid Flash sat there with their mouths hanging open as Black Canary walked off with Icicle Jr in tow. Green Arrow and Batman had captured the other villains and prepared for them to be transported to Belle Reve and Arkham.
"Cameron?!" Speedy and Kid Flash said at the same time and busted out laughing. Up until now, neither of them knew the ice villain's real name.
"Thanks, pal. You saved my life." Said Kid Flash, referring to when Speedy had his back during the fight.
"You saved mine first," the archer pointed out.
"We saved each other, that makes us friends for life. To make it official, we each have to bury something real important to us." Kid Flash explained.
Speedy frowned, "Bury something? Won't we get dirty?" he asked.
Kid Flash gave him an odd look, had this kid ever heard of a time capsule?
"It's ok, I'll be careful." Speedy assured his new friend.
"Good, let's shake on it." Said Kid Flash.
The two sidekicks shook hand. Both smiling at one another. For the next half hour their conversation consisted of various topics, favorite movies, music and superheroes they admired besides their mentors. Their discussion was cut short when Canary was walking towards them, with Robin not far behind.
"Until you stop chasing girls, Dick Grayson, you're going to sit right here with me." said Black Canary as she and Robin sat down on a bench next to Speedy and Kid Flash.
The 9-year-old Boy Wonder just smiled, "Have mercy," was all he could say.
(Flashback Ends)
"I remember that day," said Nightwing who was grinned and looked as if he was in a daze.
"Focus, Nightwing!" Wally and Red Arrow shouted at the same time which snapped their friend out of his thought.
"Sorry," he apologized, looking embarrassed.
The rest of the team however, was in stitches, all of them laughing, apart from Black Canary and Nightwing.
"Knock it off!" Nightwing snapped at the others who suddenly got quiet.
"I never knew that about you guys," said Artemis.
"Neither did I," Bumblebee admitted.
"Moving on…" said Nightwing.
"Does anyone else have a story they'd like to share?"
The team looked at one another uncertain of what to say until Bumblebee spoke up.
"Well, y'all know about our first time working together as a team." She said, looking over at Artemis. Both smiled at the memory.
"You mean when you, Superboy, Static and Artemis stopped Red Volcano?! That was great!" said Rocket.
"Yeah, that was dope; you guys taking on an android like Volcano." Cyborg agreed.
"I have to say, that was quite an adventure." Said Black Canary who by now had heard this story about a hundred times.
"Sure was," Artemis agreed, remembering that day in August when she, Superboy, Static and Bumblebee had been assigned to stop Red Volcano who was tearing up Sonoma, California.
"As much as I don't want to admit it…Artemis' quick thinking saved us." Static confessed.
"Yeah, it did." Superboy agreed.
"Oh, c'mon you guys." said Artemis, who was two seconds away from blushing.
"It's true!" Superboy insisted.
"Yes!" Static and Bumblebee said in unison, adding their two cents.
"You guys were the talk of the town for a week." Mal pointed out.
"That's how I remember it." Said Batgirl. She looked over at Artemis and continued, "And you wanted nothing to with the Team in the first place."
"Well that was then…" said Artemis. She then heard Red Arrow snicker and looked his way, narrowing her eyes. "You weren't too keen on joining either, Roy."
Artemis' comment caught Red Arrow off-guard, but he quickly recovered with an answer.
"Ok, so what if I felt that way? Doesn't matter now."
Bart cleared his throat, trying to get his teammate's attention.
"Anyway…can we get back to swapping stories?" he asked.
"Well, you guys all know how I became Green Arrow's sidekick." Said Red Arrow.
"Yeah…" was Wally's reply as he glanced at everyone else. "Has anyone heard about my story?"
"Sure, you nearly blew yourself away trying to reenact the same accident that gave the Flash superspeed." Artemis answered.
Wally now felt somewhat awkward, "Ok, so that wasn't the best idea." He admitted.
"Ya think?!" the rest of the team replied.
"Ok, break it up." Said Black Canary, stepping in before things got heated.
"Sorry," Wally and Artemis apologized.
Once things had settled down, Black Canary took a moment to observe the team. Some were talking amongst themselves or roasting marshmallows. She couldn't help but notice two team members sitting between Artemis and Rocket that had hardly spoke. One blond and the other a red head. Deciding to break the silence, Canary spoke.
"You've been awfully quiet," she pointed out.
Stargirl looked away from the campfire, realizing someone was talking to her.
"Who, me or Tula?" She asked.
"Both of you," Canary replied.
"Oh, well…my sidekick story isn't anything to write home about." Said Stargirl. She turned to her teammate, trying to start a conversation, "What about yours?"
At that moment, Tula froze and took a moment to collect herself and keep from choking on her s'more. "Me? Eh… nobody wants to hear it." Was her reply, regarding how she became a sidekick.
Bart raised an eyebrow and tried to keep the conversation going. "Why not? You've been at this hero gig longer than some of us." He pointed out.
"Wrong Bart, Dick has been doing it since he was nine." Robin corrected him.
"Oh yeah…I forgot. Still, you do have a sidekick story like the rest of us?" Bart asked.
Tula exhaled loudly which sounded more like a sigh. "Yes, but it's kind of long." She replied.
"So? We got time." Said Robin.
Seeing how they were going to keep prying, Tula decided to get it over with and tell her story. "All right," she said with a sigh. "You know, there's members of this team who were there when it started."
Bart's eyes widened in surprise, "Like who?" he asked.
"Me, Roy and Wally." Nightwing answered.
"Really?" Robin asked.
"Yes, we were all new to being sidekicks…well…except Dick." Said Red Arrow, recalling that he, Wally and Dick had started working with their mentors around the time they met Tula.
"Hey, don't forget about me." Lagoon Boy chimed in from his spot next to Mal.
"Dude, you didn't show up till later." Wally reminded him.
"True, but I was still there." Lagoon Boy insisted.
"Riight." Wally and Red Arrow said simultaneously.
"Well, I've got you all beat. I remember back when you all started your hero careers." Canary told the boys.
"Get out! You've been at this hero thing for that long?" Bart asked.
Canary narrowed her eyes at the speedster, obviously not liking the comment. "We're getting off the subject." She replied in a firm tone. If there was one thing she didn't like was someone implying that she was old.
Bart flinched, realizing his mistake. "Kay," was all he said.
From that point on, Bart made a mental note to be more careful with his choice of words.
Nightwing glanced over at Tula and attempted to get back on topic. "Anyway…you were saying?" he asked.
"Canary's right, this started out a while back." Tula answered.
"How far back are we talking? Bart asked before taking a bite out of his s'more.
"A few years…I was very young, so I don't remember much but from what I've been told it went like this…" Tula began.
She quickly noticed her teammates were silent, which felt rather awkward but nonetheless, Tula kept herself together and continued with her story. "It all started in 1984, a month after the SS Mobil Oil spill."
"I read about that in school, it was pretty bad." Said Bart.
"Not as bad as the one after that." Tula told him.
"After it?" Bart asked, he was literally on the edge of his seat.
Tula nodded in reply.
"What happened?" Bart continued before finishing off his half-eaten s'more.
Black Canary and Tula looked at each other. Both knew this story too well and judging by the look on the girl's face, Canary got the hint and knew what to do.
"Well…" Black Canary and Tula started to say.
At this point, Black Canary took over.
(Flashback Begins)
"Ollie and I were investigating a series of break-ins reported by different tech companies in Silicon Valley. But it wasn't just us... Batman was there and so were a few other heroes. Back then, the Justice League didn't exist but we all knew each other and worked together from time to time. One such day was Friday, April 22nd…"
The sounds of seagulls could be heard overhead at the Port of Oakland. Ships came and went throughout the morning. Dock workers loaded and unloaded large crates, and as the fifth busiest container port in America, it lived up to its title. Another trademark of the Bay Area was the dense fog, which rolled in at dusk but was gone by mid-morning. Today, this was one of those of those times where it could still be seen the past hour, Black Canary and Green Arrow had searched around the docks for any evidence that the stolen tech was being stored here.
"Find anything?" Canary asked once Green Arrow stopped to talk.
"No, you?" the archer replied.
Canary shook her head, "No, whatever was being stored here is gone."
Both Black Canary and Green Arrow felt a chill down their spines. The cold climate and briny scent in the air were both reminders that they were close to the ocean. Even though it was Spring, temperatures in San Francisco and Oakland were in the 60s during the day.
Moments later, Barry Allen, the Flash, ran up to Black Canary and Green Arrow. Like them, he came to help in the search but didn't have any success. "Ok, explain to me why we're here again?" he asked.
Canary sighed, Flash might've been the fastest man alive, but he was also quick to forget things as well, in this case the reason why they were working together in the first place.
"Two prototypes were stolen from Apple and Microsoft…and chances are whoever has them might try to sell them to the highest bidder." Black Canary explained.
"Oh, then we better get crackin'," said Flash, realizing how serious the situation was. Just as he was about to run off, the speedster looked up at the sky and noticed several seagulls flying overhead and cawing loudly as they headed out towards open water. "What's with the seagulls?" Flash asked.
Both Black Canary and Green Arrow looked skyward in the same direction as Flash.
"There was something on the news about sardines being spotted not far from here, apparently there's more of them than usual." Green Arrow answered.
"That explains the seagulls." Said Black Canary.
"Yeah." Flash agreed.
All three heroes were startled by the sound of a ship's horn blaring offshore.
"How 'bout we look somewhere else? If I stand here much longer, I'll be deaf." Said Flash, regarding the noise.
Black Canary and Green Arrow nodded in agreement and decided to search elsewhere.
Flash turned around for a minute and noticed a large silhouette resembling a ship in the fog, just beyond the Bay Bridge.
The hero frowned at this, he knew they were in the Bay Area and boats and ships were a common site but who would be crazy enough to be out in the fog? "Is that an oil tanker?" he asked.
Both Canary and Arrow stopped and turned around, looking out towards the water. From the looks of it, the ship was too far out to be coming into the bay so where was it going?
Half an hour later, the aforementioned ship was now passing under the Golden Gate Bridge. The Captain tried his best to steer it. But because of the thick fog, he only had personal experience and the ship's navigation system to guide him. But it wasn't enough to prevent the 869-foot-long white and dark blue vessel from having a head on collision with a rock. Anyone or anything nearby would've heard a loud crash followed by the sound of stone scraping the metal panel on the left side of the ship. The jolt and noise from the collision frightened the crew onboard. Shortly after, a 40 some year-old man with greying brown hair and a captain's outfit and hat walked out to the main deck to check for damage. He looked over the safety rails on the left side of the ship and sure enough there was a large gash with black liquid pouring out into the water. The Captain gasped at the site, of all the things that could happen, this was the worst.
"Oil! I gotta get help!" he exclaimed. The Captain rushed back to radio the coastguard and notify the crew of what had just occurred.
Meanwhile, the oil continued to leak from the ship and quickly began to spread. Gradually, it began to move South. Seabirds and other animals that were out on the water catching sardines suddenly panicked at the sight and smell of oil. Most of them tried to get out of the water as fast as they could. A male California Seagull flew over the sea. The gull, Makani, had lived in the San Francisco-Oakland area most of his life. Like the rest of his flock, Makani was taking advantage of the sardine migration. It had been a while since such an unusually large number of the fish had entered this part of Northern California. Thus far, it had been a pleasant morning until Makani noticed something strange about the ocean below. He flew further down to get a closer look, his beak hung open at what he saw, thick black liquid moving through the water, covering everything in its path. In his short life of three years, Makani had never thought he would witness such a disaster.
As one of the lookouts for his flock, he tried to warn them as best as he could. "Danger! Danger!" Makani called out to the other seagulls.
Within seconds, there was widespread panic as birds and other animals darted in various directions, trying to avoid getting caught in the oil.
A Sea Otter who had just caught a sardine made his way out of the ocean and onto the beach. He then noticed the cause of the commotion and was now on high alert. He dropped his fish in shock. "The water!" he exclaimed and ran to alert the other otters about the oil, leaving the sardine where he had dropped it.
A young Bottle Nosed Dolphin by the name of Fluke, surfaced and took a breath of air. He appeared to be just over a year old and was mostly dark gray with lighter patches around his eyes, with a white underbelly. Moments ago, Fluke was catching sardines with several other dolphins but now he was separated from his group.
"What happened? Where's everyone going?" he wondered. It didn't take long for Fluke to spot the changes in the water as well as an overpowering smell similar to gasoline. "The sea's all black." He said to himself.
Despite their efforts, several animals were caught in the oil. Fluke could see birds, otters and sea lions struggling in the water and on the beach. Feathers and fur were covered in oil, which was impossible get off. Several sea lions were coughing loudly, their coats which were normally various shades of grey or brown, were now black.
Not too far away, a group of Killer Whales had watched the scene unfold. The leader, an older female named Kona, looked on. In her forty years of living along the Pacific coast, this wasn't the first time she had seen such a disaster. She felt sorry for the animals affected by the spill but there was nothing she or her group could do. Kona simply shook her head. "Another oil spill, when will humans learn?" She asked out loud.
With that, Kona and the other whales moved on, if they wanted to avoid getting covered in oil, they had to leave as soon as possible.
Later that day…
Fluke had swam as far as he could from the spill, along the way he searched for his family but thus far, he hadn't them. He coughed loudly, even though he put some distance between himself and the oil slick, for some reason he could still smell it. Fluke took note of his surroundings. The water at this beach was still deep blue. By now, the fog was gone and the sun was out. It was now noon.
The landscape was also different, above the beach were large stone cliffs with grass and wildflowers growing at the top. One of the more unusual features about this beach was a rock formation in a nearby cove that was shaped like the dorsal fin of a shark.
"Never swam this far before." Fluke admitted. He decided to take a look around, if this place was untouched by the oil slick why could he still smell it?
He then noticed a 1980 Sea Ray Cabin Cruiser just a few feet away from the beach. Fluke had seen something similar to the black and white vessel while at sea, but this was an odd place for one to be anchored.
"What's a boat doing here?" Fluke wondered.
He swam further into the cove and continued to investigate. The tide was high enough for him to get closer, but he stayed back far enough to avoid beaching himself. There were traces of oil on the sand and a trail of human footprints going from the water to the beach. Fluke soon found out that animals weren't the only ones effected by the oil spill.
His jaw dropped when he saw two figures laying on the sand with a first aid kit and... a video camera? What was that for? "Humans?! What happened to them?"
Fluke's question was soon answered, when one of the humans, a red-haired woman spotted him.
She gasped, "Shark! Back off!" The woman shouted and tried to back away from Fluke.
The second human, a man named Keani, with short curly black hair tried to calm her down.
"Zeena, relax…it's a dolphin." He said.
Zeena took a second look at Fluke and realized her mistake. "Oh…good." She said, sounding relieved before letting out a dry cough.
Fluke took a moment to observe the two humans. Zeena and Keani appeared to be in their early twenties. Both had very interesting features. Keani was rather tall around 6'1 with a mocha brown skin tone. His hair style resembled a small afro. Keani also several freckles underneath his icy blue eyes. He was also slim but slightly muscular.
Zeena on the other hand, was 5'6 and had a cinnamon colored skin tone, and long Auburn hair with a reddish undertone. Her hazel eyes also had a hint of green in them. Despite her smaller size, Zeena had an athletic body and was on the thin side. In terms of looks, Keani could pass for West African, Senegalese, while Zeena appeared to have a mix of Irish and Nigerian features. Keani wore what looked like a short-sleeved black and charcoal grey wetsuit. Zeena's wetsuit was midnight blue and black.
Keani smiled at Fluke. "Hey there," he greeted and stroked the dolphin's head
"Listen, we got caught in the spill North of here."
It was then Fluke put two and two together, the cruiser he had seen belonged to Keani and Zeena. "Oil" the young dolphin concluded. noticing the stains on Keani and Zeena's wetsuits.
The couple must've somehow came in contact with the black liquid. They also seemed to be somewhat tired.
Keani coughed before he went on to explain. "This is as far as we got, our radio is out…my wife can't walk to the road from here so…" before Keani could finish, Zeena screamed in pain. She grabbed her distended midsection as she felt a contraction. Although she was in the final weeks of her pregnancy, there was no question Zeena was about to give birth.
"Go find someone, please!" Keani begged. Fluke didn't need to be told twice, the desperate look in Keani's eyes was enough.
"Ok! ok! Let me go get some help." He replied, even though Fluke couldn't 'speak human'.
The young dolphin quickly left the cove. Fluke tried his best to avoid areas covered by the oil slick and in doing so, it took him longer to try to find help. After an hour and a half of searching he was starting to lose hope.
"There's gotta be someone around here." He said to himself. Fluke was now at Greyhound Rock Beach. At first, he didn't see any people but kept looking.
Sure enough, he spotted a muscular looking man in blue wearing a red cape with a large S on his chest. Fluke recognized it, having seen humans before who wore shirts with the exact same logo as well as those of other heroes.
'Superman!' Fluke thought and headed towards the man of steel. He began chattering loudly trying to get the Kryptonian's attention.
It didn't take long for Superman to hear the noise and walk over to the pathway led to a rock formation known as Greyhound Rock. At low tide, anyone could go right up to it.
Although Superman had been assisting Green Arrow, Black Canary and Flash in the search for the stolen computer prototypes, the search was called off when they heard about the oil spill. Currently, the group of heroes helped with evacuating the beaches, Greyhound Rock was one of them. Still Superman was puzzled by Fluke's presence.
"Hey Flash," Superman called.
The scarlet speedster then ran up to him. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Look at this dolphin." Said Superman.
Flash raised an eyebrow, "What's it doing here?" he asked.
Superman shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know must be from that oil spill." The man of steel concluded.
Fluke nodded yes, "You gotta come quick, I need some help!" He said, even though neither Flash or Superman could understand him. The two heroes just stared at him.
"What's up with him?" Flash asked.
"I think he's trying to tell us something." Superman answered.
Fluke continued chattering and swimming back and forth.
Black Canary, Green Arrow and Batman then walked over, the beach was now completely deserted.
"What's going on, Guys?" Canary asked.
"It's this dolphin, he's trying to tell us something." Flash asked.
Green Arrow frowned at this, "Really?" he asked, finding this hard to believe.
Batman glanced at Fluke then the other heroes. "I know this dolphin," he announced.
Canary, Arrow, Flash and Superman looked in surprise.
"You do?!" they all said at the same time.
"Yes, this is Fluke." Batman answered.
Fluke smiled at this. 'Finally! At least someone recognizes me.' he thought.
Black Canary was confused, she found out over time that Batman knew a lot of people but a dolphin? That didn't make sense.
"How do you know him?" she asked, regarding Fluke.
"Long story," Batman replied.
"But why would he come to find us?" Superman wondered.
As if answering the Kryptonian's question, Fluke reached up and tugged on Superman's cape, startling him.
"Hey!" he shouted.
"I think he wants us to follow him." Canary concluded.
Although Superman was still just as confused as everyone else, he thought that this was something worth investigating. Dolphins had saved lives before, maybe someone was in trouble and Fluke had gone to get some help. Superman's mind was made up as he turned to his fellow heroes.
"All right, tell the others and come 'on." He said.
A short time later they met up with Green Lantern John Stewart and Dr. Light.
Superman flew out ahead, following Fluke while the others were not far behind. Along the way, Batman explained how he met the bottle nosed Dolphin. A year ago, he, Hal Jordan and Aquaman were investigating an animal trafficking ring in Coast City. Several otters and sea lions were found caged up in a warehouse at the pier. They been captured to be sold for the fur trade despite the sea lions being a protected species. When a fire broke out and hit a gas line it knocked Hal Jordan and Batman off the dock. Fluke was one of two dolphins that saved them from drowning.
"So, that's how you know Fluke." Said Green Arrow after hearing the story.
"Yes, used to be the most obnoxious dolphin in the Pacific." Batman replied.
"C'mon Batman, how bad could he be?" Green Lantern, John Stewart asked.
"You'd be surprised." Said Batman.
Green Arrow scoffed, "Yeah sure,"
Dr. Light and Superman landed on one of the rock cliffs. Green Lantern followed shortly after, having used his ring to help transport Green Arrow, Flash and Black Canary.
The sound of seagulls could be heard as Makani and his flock flew overhead, heading South away from the oil slick. Superman looked down and spotted Fluke in the cove waiting for them.
"Quick, let's hurry!" he said.
All six of them made their way down a slope to the beach and walked through a sea cave leading into the cove. Seconds later, they found Keani and Zeena, both of them lying next to each other on the sand. Neither of them were moving.
"No!" said Superman.
He approached the couple, both were completely still. Superman was shocked at what he saw.
"Too Late."
Batman and Dr. Light went over to Zeena and Keani, both got down on their knees and checked for a pulse.
Green Arrow, Black Canary, Green Lantern and Flash slowly walked up to them.
"Are they?" Canary started to say.
Both Batman and Dr. Light looked at their colleagues and shook their heads.
Black Canary's eyes widened, she put both of her hands over her mouth, silencing a gasp.
Fluke looked on, he was just as stunned as they were.
"What do we do now?" Green Arrow asked.
"I don't know, I suppose we'll have to file a report and…" Superman was interrupted by Dr. Light who had found something in Zeena's arms.
"Can you keep your voice down? You'll wake her." she said to him.
"Wake who?" Flash asked, looking puzzled.
He soon had his answer when Dr. Light picked up what looked like a newborn baby, wrapped in a dark blue towel.
Flash's mouth flew open, "No way!" he said loudly.
"Shh!" Dr. Light told him.
Everyone stared at the tiny infant Dr. Light was holding.
"What the…?" Green Arrow sputtered.
"But…how?" Superman asked.
Dr. Light glanced at the baby girl then at Zeena before she spoke.
"Her mother must've given birth here."
"Looks like it," said Green Lantern as he surveyed the scene.
The open first aid kid, scattered medical supplies, blood and... other evidence, made it obvious what happened here. Zeena had her arms wrapped around her daughter, almost as if she was trying to protect and comfort the infant. The newborn had short dark red hair and a skin tone like Zeena's but was a shade lighter and looked more tan in color.
"Is she ok?" Black Canary asked, looking at the baby who surprisingly was sleeping through the conversation.
"She seems to be all right, but I won't know for sure until I run some tests." Dr. Light.
"We better call Adam Strange," Superman suggested.
"He should be at Star Labs in Palo Alto." Flash added.
"Let's Go," said Batman.
Hours Later…
Superman and the others sat in the break room at Star Labs, all of them were anxious and waiting to hear from Dr. Light or Adam Strange. The breakroom wasn't much, plain off-white walls and beige oak wood floors, a few tables and folding chairs. A TV with a VCR on a stand on the right side of the room. There was also a fridge, coffeemaker and microwave. Windows on the left wall provided sunlight and an outdoor view. The Star Labs location in Palo Alto specialized in medical studies, thus making it the ideal place for the girl they found to get examined.
Both Dr. Light and Adam Strange stepped out from the Employee's Only door. The two had on civilian clothes and white lab coats with the Star Labs logo on them.
Superman was the first to speak, "Well?"
"She seems to be dehydrated and judging by her size, I'm guessing she wasn't due for another two weeks." Adam Strange explained.
He and Dr. Light grabbed a couple empty chairs and sat down with their colleagues.
"Will she recover?" Canary asked, regarding the newborn's health.
"It's too soon to tell. She's stable but we'll have to wait and see if her condition improves. Her mother must've been under a lot of stress, which is probably why she was born early." Dr. Light explained.
Everyone nodded in agreement, it all made perfect sense to them. Although, Adam Strange and Dr. Light weren't pediatricians they both did have some knowledge of basic medicine particularly in treating meta-humans. By finding this girl when they did, they were able to help her in time. Dr. Light noticed one person in the group was missing.
"Where's Batman?" she asked.
"He said he was going to do some research and try to find out who this girl's parents were. He'll see if she has any has any family that can take her and if Bruce can't find anyone, she'll likely be put in foster care until she's adopted or is of legal age." Superman explained.
"Well, all we can do now is wait. I've got some staff who will look after her for the night. In the meantime, I think it's best if we all head home." Said Adam.
The group of heroes all agreed and headed back to their homes for a good night's rest. The only ones who stayed behind were Adam and Dr. Light. Both wanted to check on the infant girl before leaving the staff to monitor her condition until they returned tomorrow morning.
Shark Fin Cove-10:30pm-Pacific Time.
Fluke had swam off after Superman and the others left but now he was back at the cove. This time however, he kept his distance from the beach, the oil slick had made further south of where the spill began. Fluke looked over at the cove, it was dark and quiet. The only things on the beach where Keani and Zeena had been were plastic signs with "Keep Out" and "Closed: Oil Spill, Water Unsafe" printed on them. The couple's cabin cruiser was also gone.
The only thing Fluke felt at the moment was sadness. Although he did eventually find his family, he learned a few other dolphins had been caught in the oil and were sent to the local aquarium for medical care. There was no way of knowing if they would recover and later be returned to the ocean. While Fluke thought about the animals effected by the oil spill, he couldn't take his mind of a certain couple. Keani and Zeena seemed like such kind humans and he tried to help them. Although he did the best he could, it was too late. Fluke was sorry for Keani and Zeena's daughter, while his efforts did save her, he felt that he had failed her parents. Even though he knew Superman and the other heroes would take care of her, she was still an orphan regardless.
Fluke glanced at Shark Fin Cove one last time, "I'm sorry," he apologized, despite the fact that Keani and Zeena weren't there anymore.
Fluke then swam out to the open sea. He looked upward, unlike San Francisco Bay which was covered in fog, the sky was clear. The moon was somewhat full in its waning gibbous phase. There were also several stars. Fluke's dark brown eyes were filled with tears as he let out a cry of pure grief.
Off in the distance, Kona heard the noise and raised her voice as well. Other whales joined in, they only used this particular vocalization when they lost someone close to them. In this case, it was for the victims of the oil spill, both human and animal. The sound echoed across the Bay area, many land animals became vocal as well. Coyotes and dogs howled, even the animals at a nearby zoo raised their voices, one of which was an elephant.
The noise didn't go unnoticed, by various residents in Palo Alto and San Francisco. At Star Labs, Adam was looking out an open window at the night sky when he heard the calls of various animals.
"You hear that?" he asked Dr. Light.
"Yes," was her reply as she joined Adam at the window.
"I've never heard anything like this. Think it has something to do with the oil spill?" Adam wondered.
"Could be…it sounds so sad." Said Dr. Light.
"Speaking of which…" she trailed off and walked over to Keani and Zeena's daughter.
The newborn was sound asleep, wrapped in a light pink blanket. Despite having an IV drip and EKG hooked up to monitor her vitals, she did look peaceful.
Dr. Light gently stroked the infant's soft red hair, "Hang in there, Baby girl." She whispered.
The next day a news report from GBS was broadcasted, what could be heard and seen was this:
"This is Cat Grant bringing you an update on yesterday's oil spill in Northern California. Yesterday at 8:30am, a container ship known as the Sea Eagle struck a rock near the Golden Gate bridge. Heavy fog made visibility minimal for the Captain to avoid a collision. Sources estimate between 100 to 400 gallons of crude oil have spilled into the ocean. Over fifty beaches have been closed as far South as San Luis Obispo. We take you live to Natural Bridges State Beach where Snapper Carr has more information."
The screen then switched to a live broadcast. Lucas 'Snapper' Carr was standing on the beach wearing a black raincoat, dark pants and shoes. Natural Bridges State Beach was named for its large bridge like rock formations. The sky was partly cloudy, and the water was mostly jet black from the oil slick, a far cry from the normal deep blue. Snapper Carr held a microphone as he spoke:
"Thanks Cat, as you can see behind me Natural Bridges is completely deserted. On a normal day, there would be surfers and locals but not today. Here, oil continues to wash ashore in large quantities. Clean up is underway with emergency responders from as far away as Honolulu, New York City and Metropolis coming to assist with what's being called one of the worst oil spills to hit the west coast. Less than a month after the SS Mobil incident on the Columbia River near Longview, Washington."
"How bad is it?" Cat Grant asked
The broadcast was now split into two screens showing Cat at her desk at GBS studio and Snapper Carr at the beach.
The red-haired reporter let out a sigh as he tried to collect his thoughts.
"It's…hard to say, but from what I've been told a state of emergency has been declared for the city of Santa Cruz and surrounding areas."
The camera moved to the right to show clean-up crews and volunteers in protective clothing, gloves and boots gathering animals that were covered in oil and some out on boats setting up containment booms to prevent the slick from spreading further out.
"Over 2,519 animals have been collected from the spill including birds, dolphins, sea lions, otters and a young killer whale. Many of these animals are being taken to aquariums in Monterey Bay and San Francisco for medical care. It's unclear how many will be successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild." Snapper Car explained.
"How far has the oil spread?" Cat asked.
Snapper looked at the ocean behind him before turning back to the camera. "As of this morning, an estimated 200 miles of coastline have been effected by this spill. All commercial fishing has been postponed until further notice. We will continue to track this story. This is Snapper Carr, GBS News, California."
Green Lantern turned off the TV then faced Superman and the others. "Well, that's the report." He said to them.
"And sitting here isn't going to change anything." Superman pointed out.
"No," Black Canary agreed.
They had all been at Star Labs since 6:00am, waiting for Adam and Dr. Light to check on the orphan girl. If she made it through the night, there was a possibility that she would recover. Once they learned more about her progress, the group planned to head out and help with the oil spill clean-up. For the time being they watched the news and drank coffee. Flash was the only one missing, running late as usual.
"Anyone hear from Batman?" Canary asked, after a brief moment of silence. She then heard the door to the break room open.
"Never mind," she said when she spotted the Dark Knight as he entered the room and sat down next to Superman and Green Arrow.
"Find anything?" the blond archer asked.
"Not much, the infant's parents are Keani and Zeena, they were professional surfers but retired early and joined an emergency response team in Cape Town, South Africa. Apparently, they left after three years and moved to the Bay Area a few months ago and had planned on permanently living in San Francisco." Batman explained.
"Anything else?" Superman asked.
"That's all I could find, I haven't been able to locate any family members of theirs." Batman answered.
"And their daughter?" Black Canary asked.
"If no one claims her, she'll be placed in foster care." Said Batman.
Green Arrow flinched, that was the second time he had heard this, and it still bothered him.
"Seriously?! But she's…only a day old, do you have any idea what that system does to kids?!" he asked, a mixture of shock and anger on his face.
Green Arrow knew many children in the foster system who weren't adopted right away often got shuffled from home to home until they turned eighteen. However, by then, some of them had both emotional and mental scars from the experience.
"As young as she is, she'll be adopted quickly." Said Batman.
"That's true, I was eighteen months old when Ma and Pa took me in." Superman agreed.
"Point taken," Black Canary noted.
"The autopsy should be finished in a day or two, but the toxicology tests could take weeks before the results are available." Batman went on to explain, in regard to finding out exactly what happened to Zeena and Keani.
Just then the employees only door opened, and Adam stepped out followed by Dr. Light.
"Well?" Green Arrow asked.
"How is she?" Black Canary asked next.
Dr. Light and Adam exchanged looks then turned to face everyone else. "Her condition is slowly improving." Dr. Light announced, half smiling.
"Yes, much better than yesterday." Adam agreed, "You want to come in and see her?"
"Can we?" Green Lantern asked.
Adam nodded.
As everyone got up and followed Dr. Light, Adam noticed Batman hadn't moved an inch, "Batman?" he asked.
"I'll wait here," the Dark Knight replied.
Adam shrugged his shoulders, "Suit yourself." He said and left the room.
Batman tapped the comm device in his ear and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.
"Are you coming? Yes…everyone else is here. I'll explain when we're all together, Flash." Said Batman, before he hung up, ending the conversation. He sat there waiting for Flash to arrive and would bring him up to speed, so to speak.
Meanwhile, the other heroes were checking on the infant girl they had found the day before. Although she was now awake and becoming more active, prior to that she was very lethargic. Between being born outside of a hospital environment and only nursing one time from her mother, the girl had a rough start.
"She's getting used to me and Adam, first time she saw us, poor thing wouldn't stop crying." Dr. Light explained.
"She probably misses her parents. They were likely the first things she saw." Canary concluded.
"Could be," Dr. Light agreed.
She stroked the little girl's hair for a minute and just as she started to pull her hand back, a much smaller one reached out and grabbed her index finger. This caught the dark-haired woman off-guard, "Did you see that?"
Both Black Canary and Dr. Light could help but smile. The two of them reacting with an:
"Aww…"
The girl cooed at the two women, being taken from her parents and in a strange place surrounded by other people was terrifying. Despite this, she was gradually learning to trust those who cared for her.
"She needs a name," Dr. Light pointed out.
"Yes, but don't you think her parents might've already given her one?" Black Canary asked.
"I think this will answer your question." Said Batman who was standing in the doorway holding a VHS tape.
A short time later, they were all back in the break room, sitting down.
There was tension in the air as the heroes waited to hear what Batman had to say.
"This was on the video camera at the beach. I transferred the recording to a tap, have a look." He said before putting the tape into the VCR.
Within a few seconds it started to play:
"Is it on?" Keani asked.
"Yes," Zeena replied before turning the camera towards she and Keani.
"Uh…hi, my name's Zeena and this is my husband Keani." She said, talking into the camera lens.
"Hello," Keani greeted.
The two of them half smiled but were clearly exhausted.
"We're going to cut to the chase, Zeena and I got caught in an oil spill, we're both extremely weak and…" Keani stopped to clear his throat, "Can't go get help."
"Long story short, we're stuck here." Said Zeena.
She turned the camera around, pointing towards Shark fin rock to show their location before pointing the camera back herself and Keani.
Zeena was panting heavily and started to sweat, "I don't have much strength left… and I'll need what little I've got to give birth." She said.
"Whoever watches this tape, Keani and I want you to honor these three requests."
"Requests?" Flash asked out loud only for everyone in the room to shush him. They then went back to watching the video.
"First… whoever finds this, please don't harm our baby…second…you must take care of our daughter, Tula until she's an adult…and third...you must teach her how to surf." Said Zeena.
She coughed for a minute and paused to collect herself. Zeena tried to keep it together between the side effects of encountering the oil and labor pains.
"And one more thing. Please tell our daughter, we love her." said Keani.
"Yes, and give her this to remember us by." Zeena added.
She removed her necklace, a brown leather cord with a Lapis lazuli blue tear drop shaped pendant made from sea glass.
Both Keani and Zeena continued to cough, the effects of the oil and being exhausted from trying to escape were taking their toll on the couple. The pair looked at the camera one last time, hoping their requests would be honored by whoever found their tape.
"That's all we ask." Said Zeena. Shortly after, the video ended.
Everyone in the room just sat in silence, looking at one another in a mixture of shock and uncertainty.
"Wow," was all Flash could say.
"I…I don't know what to say," Green Arrow confessed, struggling to find his voice.
"Me neither," said Superman.
"Poor kid," Adam said sadly.
Green Lantern sighed, "This is…"
"Sad?" Canary finished.
"For lack of a better word, yes." Said GL.
Batman seemed to be the only one that managed to keep his composure but deep down he was just as stunned as everyone, "Well?" he asked, turning to the group.
"We all saw it and… I really don't know about this." Dr. Light answered.
"They asked anyone who found the tape to honor their requests. I think we should." Said Superman.
"What?!" Green Lantern, Dr. Light and the others all replied at the same time.
"Clark, you can't be serious." Said Flash.
Superman narrowed his eyes. "I am serious. If it was your daughter, what would you do?" he asked.
"Point taken," said Flash, who knew not to push the envelope, especially when the man he was talking to could toss him across the room.
"But the question is, who would look after her?" Canary asked regarding the girl who they now knew was named Tula.
"I have a full-time job," Superman answered, "Anyone else?
"I can't, sorry." Green Arrow apologized.
"Neither can I." Canary replied.
"Same here," said Green Lantern.
"I divide my time between Star Labs and traveling to Rann so…" Adam trailed off.
"You're all out." Superman concluded. He glanced over at Batman, "I'm not even going to ask you, Bruce."
"I have a few contacts in family and child services but having seen this video that's no longer an option." Said the Dark Knight. He glanced over at Dr. Light, "What about you, Kimiyo?"
"I've got a son and a daughter of my own. If I came home with a newborn, they'll want an explanation." Dr. Light replied.
"Barry?"
"My only experience is watching my nephew Wally and I don't know if Rudy and Mary would be up for adopting another kid." Flash replied, "Couldn't we take turns?"
"Barry, Tula's a baby not a puppy you leave at a friend's house while you're at work." Black Canary pointed out.
"True…Clark, what about your folks?" Flash asked.
"They're getting up in age, as much as they'd probably like the idea it would be a challenge." Superman answered.
"Green Arrow pinched the bridge of his nose, "So, we're back to square one." He sighed.
"Pretty much, even though my staff's been looking after Tula, a lab is nothing like a home." Said Adam.
It was then he noticed two chairs across from him that had been occupied some time ago were now empty. "Anyone seen Aquaman?" Adam asked.
Superman and the others just looked around the break room, apparently none of them noticed that Aquaman and his wife Mera had stepped out. But where did they go?
Elsewhere…
The two were outside the room where Tula was being kept. Mera looked through the small window like panel in the door, her right hand pressed against the glass. She watched Tula as she slept, the woman's heart went out to the orphan. Her emerald green eyes full of empathy and worry. As a mother of two, Mera had strong maternal instincts and was sad to learn this little girl had lost her parents just twenty-four hours ago. She and Aquaman had been informed by Batman about the oil spill and Tula and arrived at Star Labs around the same time as Flash.
"Can't take your eyes off her, can you?" Aquaman asked.
Mera sighed, not looking away from the window, "No," was her reply.
Aquaman glanced at Tula through the window and made up his mind, "Wait here," he said.
Mera then looked away from the window, she was rather puzzled. What was her husband up to this time? "Why?" she asked.
"You'll find out," Aquaman replied. He left Mera standing there looking rather dumbfounded. Aquaman walked back to the breakroom where the other heroes were. All of them were still talking and trying to figure out who would care for Tula.
"Seriously though, who else do we know could take care of a kid?" Green Arrow asked.
The conversation came to an abrupt stop when they heard footsteps. Aquaman the approached Superman. "Clark, I think I have an idea that might solve this problem." Aquaman announced.
Superman looked at the others then back at Aquaman, "Really?" the man of steel replied.
"Yes but…" Aquaman stopped short and let out a deep sigh. It was obvious he was having a hard time collecting his thoughts. "I hope don't regret this." He said after a few seconds.
Superman frowned at this, "Regret what?"
14 years later…
Dick Grayson snickered as he walked along the sand dunes of South Beach. Every once in a while, he liked to test his friends' tracking skills. He did this by wandering off to who-knows-where and waiting for someone to find him. It wasn't like hide-and-seek because half the time nobody was aware he was gone until they didn't see or hear him anymore. Dick, also known as Robin, had been Batman's sidekick for three years now. The twelve-year-old had learned quite a bit about stealth from his mentor and right now was enjoying the view of the beach below.
"Nobody will ever think to look up here, they'll never find me." said Dick.
"Think so?" a feminine voice from behind him asked.
The boy wonder yelped in surprise and nearly tripped over himself. "What the…?" he sputtered and turned around to see a red-haired girl, two years older than him standing there. "How did you…?" Dick trailed off.
The girl was none other than Tula, who was no longer a newborn but a teenager! She folded her arms in front of her chest as she looked at her friend.
"Dick, did you really think after knowing you for almost four years, I wouldn't have figured you out by now?" Tula asked.
The dark-haired boy sighed, rarely did he give into defeat, but Tula had gotten better at tracking him. "You have a point, just don't tell Roy or Wally, kay?" he told her.
"Your secret's safe with me." Tula assured him. She could tell he wasn't keen about the fact he was outdone by a girl.
"And you can't let Batman find out." Dick added, knowing he'd never hear the end of it if his mentor learned his cover had been blown.
"Got it, sheesh!" said Tula as they walked down from the sand dunes to rejoin the rest of their friends on the beach. Wally, or Kid Flash as most people called him was fourteen, the same age as Tula; while Speedy was seventeen, making him the oldest of the four.
"You found him?!" said Wally, when he spotted Tula and Dick.
"Yeah, she did." Dick replied.
"Darn it!" said Wally, who couldn't believe what his best friend told him.
"For the fastest kid alive, you're pretty slow when it comes to finding people." Said Speedy.
"Roy, get real! Robin's mentor is Batman for crying out loud! The guy could sneak his way out of a cardboard box." Said Wally.
"So could I," Speedy added.
Dick, Tula and Wally just laughed.
"Get outta here!" said Wally.
(Flashback Ends)
"That's not how I remember that conversation." Said Red Arrow.
Both Nightwing and Wally had a cynical look on their faces, "Whatever," they said at the same time.
Stargirl and the rest of the Team thus far were shocked by what Tula had gone through during the first hours of her life.
"Wow, so you were…an orphan?" Stargirl asked.
"Yes, though I don't remember my Mom and Dad that much…like I said, I was so young when it happened but I'm not the only one on the Team who…ya know…lost their parents." said Tula.
She glanced at Nightwing, Cyborg and Red Arrow who all turned away for a minute. They knew exactly what she was talking about. Nightwing had seen his parents fall from the trapeze at Haley's circus when he was nine. Cyborg was the sole survivor of a car accident; his mother and father didn't make it. Red Arrow's parents had passed away when he was just seven years old. Although it had been years since those things occurred, they were still painful memories.
"But still, it had to be hard for you." said Batgirl.
Tula sniffled, unable to hide her feelings towards the whole ordeal. "It was," She said before wiping her eyes with the back of her left hand.
At that moment, Wally tried to lift things up with a little humor. He turned to Nightwing with a smile. "Remember when we all freaked out at seeing Tula's webbed toes?" Wally asked.
The Team snickered at this.
Dick and Wally were nine and twelve when they first met Tula, Roy was fifteen at the time. They had been introduced through their mentors. It happened during a weekend trip to a beach house Bruce Wayne owned in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. At first, they didn't know what to make of each other but got over that right away.
"Get out! You were all scared by that?" Artemis asked.
"No!" Nightwing answered but then took back what he said, "Well, maybe a little."
"We had never seen it before." Red Arrow admitted.
"Wait, I thought only certain animals had webbed feet…humans can too?" Rocket asked, obviously taken aback by this.
"Yep, it's rare but happens, one in 2,000 to 2,500 births." Nightwing explained.
"There's famous people with webbed feet too." Stargirl pointed out.
"Name one," Red Arrow challenged.
"Tricia Helfer, Dan Aykroyd, Ashton Kutcher…" Stargirl stopped short when Red Arrow and the rest of the team gave her odd looks. "What? I read about it in a magazine." She explained.
"All jokes aside, I'm sure you're a better swimmer than most of us." Said Bumblebee.
Tula giggled, "Ask Wally," she replied.
Bumblebee looked over at the red-haired speedster, "Well?" she asked.
Wally simply rolled his eyes, "She's all right," he muttered.
Artemis nearly fell off the log she was sitting on, all while trying to keep from laughing. "I don't believe this! You're afraid to admit when a girl is better than you at something?"
"I'm not afraid just…" Wally stopped short and looked away.
"Embarrassed?" Canary finished for him.
"No comment," was Wally's reply, refusing to give in.
Bumblebee shook her head, "Why am I not surprised?" she wondered. At the rate things were going this was going to be a long night.
MORE TO COME…
And that's it for this week. Now, on with the notes…Some of the quotes and references in this chapter are from Full House, Once Upon a Forest, Lucky & Zorba and Surf's Up. Also, Cyborg's back story is from the tv series Smallville. Fluke, the Bottle nosed dolphin is a character from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. As this story goes on, there'll be characters and references from other DC series and movies.
The next chapter will probably be posted on the 23rd or 24th of this month. Reason being, I haven't been able write as much these past 3 weeks so I plan to catch up since I've been so busy. In short, I have one other chapter that needs editing and a partial one that has yet to be finished. The rest are all outlined and will be written out. I did get another betta fish and she's great. I eventually plan on getting a male to keep her company, despite their aggression, bettas can and do coexist in the wild and in a domestic setting, but each fish has their own personality and for safety keeping them separate is usually advised as they typically allowed together for breeding purposes only. For those that aren't familiar with bettas, they're a fish from Asia, more specifically, Thailand and Cambodia. Next to Koi and Goldfish, they are popular as pets. Also, here's an interesting Black History fact, Karen Beecher/Bumblebee is the first Black female teen comic hero. She was introduced in the 1970s!
But anyway…that's all for now. Later gators!